BRUSSELS, August 4. /TASS/. The European Union and its leading member states, including France and Germany, have begun looking for ways to phase out artificial intelligence products supplied by US technology company Palantir, which have become deeply embedded in Europe’s security, healthcare, industrial and financial sectors, Politico reported.

According to the publication, the success or failure of these efforts will determine Europe’s digital sovereignty.

French and German intelligence and security agencies have begun moving away from Palantir systems and replacing them with products developed by French competitor ChapsVision, the publication said. The Spanish government has instructed state agencies to exclude the US company’s products from public procurement and seek European alternatives. Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Romania have also shown significant interest in the French military AI system Artemis AI.

NATO bodies, however, continue to use Palantir systems as their primary tool for managing combat operations and have made no effort to replace them, Politico noted. NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation Admiral Pierre Vandier believes the alliance has no viable alternative to Palantir’s battlefield AI technology.

According to Politico, Palantir pursued an aggressive expansion strategy in Europe, using successive crises to introduce its products. French intelligence agencies adopted its technology after the deadly 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris, while European healthcare systems widely introduced it during the COVID-19 pandemic and compulsory vaccination campaigns. The technology giant also has extensive access to Europe’s banking and industrial sectors.

The publication noted that Palantir actively recruits former officials from institutions with which it seeks contracts. This approach helped the company gain access to the defense ministries of several European countries.

Politico said the company’s ideological positions had also caused concern in Europe, particularly after Palantir founder Peter Thiel and CEO Alex Karp published a manifesto in April that effectively placed freedom and technological progress above democracy. Many in Europe regarded the document as a blueprint for future technofascism, the publication said. The statement further undermined political trust in Palantir.